Ashley Berns' Screenwriting Class (Feb 2021) : Hello! :) by Aminah A

Hello Aminah! My short and disappointing answer: not yet. I only used the education platform so far.

I've used the "read the first 10 pages" and "script read with hourlong consult" services.

I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the services here when I have a good script and the money. You're guaranteed to receive service from an industry professional; some of them are one degree away from A-list talent. Carli Haney, for example, is a Creative Executive for Kevin Hart's production company. I paid her to read a script and talk for an hour. She liked my script so much that she didn't have notes, so we spent the hour in a general meeting getting to know each other professionally. If I ever write something that would be a good fit for Mr. Hart, thanks to that general meeting, I can potentially get it in front of him a lot easier. That was worth the money to me.

However, it took me two years of rewrites to get to the point where I had a script I knew some industry professionals would love.

I started by working with a Coverfly reader through a service called WeScreenplay. They are the first people I go to for a full read and notes as all their readers have worked in the industry, and they have a 72-hour turnaround time for about $70, which is an excellent price

If you are ready for Stage 32 service, their read with a half-hour consult is also an excellent price at south of $150. The difference between Coverfly and Stage 32 is that Coverfly uses readers who have industry experience, meaning they worked in the industry but may be working elsewhere now and reading on the side to pay the bills. Stage 32 readers and consultants are all currently employed in the industry.

Disclaimer: Ashley is the expert here, so I would trust him if he disagrees. I have a lot of experience, but I still haven't broken in.

that's a really good question, Aminah - I haven't used any services but I've paid for a lot of webinars to try to educate myself. Tom: really good to know. I want to try the telephone pitch but feel shy about doing it, how should we prepare for it? I've done it a few times but not with Stage 32 - cold calls. Nerve wracking.

I wouldn’t worry at all. Everyone of the professionals on Stage 32 know they are communicating with people trying to break-in and will be nice as long as you follow the rules.

I did Skype pitches rather than phone calls. You get eight minutes period, so I scripted a four minute pitch then used a teleprompter program to read my pitch while still looking at the screen then took the remaining time to answer questions. Some don’t like using a teleprompter as it can make the pitch feel “canned”, neither of the producers I pitched said anything; one rarely looked into the camera because she was busy taking notes.

Also, you don’t have to worry about asking to send the script at the end. The person you pitch will send you written feedback about two weeks after and either ask for the script or pass.

In my case, both producers liked the pitch, but passed on the read. After I tested the waters some more with a few ten page reads, I went back to the producers I pitched on Skype and bought full reads and an hour-long consult. Both liked the script, but still didn’t offer to option it. The company for one doesn’t produce female-driven comedies and the other produces independent films and she felt my script has studio potential, which is why I took this class. You need representation to get anything read in the studio system. The independent film system is different.

If you want to hear the four minute pitch I used, it’s on my Stage 32 profile.

Thanks Tom, this is really helpful and comprehensive - you are very generous in sharing all this and I'm grateful. I'll keep you all posted in what I do. I'll listen to your 4 min pitch later - thank you again :)

Awesome tips!

Thanks so much!

I've only taken advantage of the education on here as well--not the Script Services just yet. I've honestly only done a few of the education courses so far but I've been writing for a long time.

I keep forgetting that Coverfly exists! It's good to know the difference between Coverfly and Stage 32.

Thanks again for the info!